DexDark Into the Rabbit Hole Oneshot
by CherryRoses
Summary: Contains slash so if you read it without liking gay boy love, well..you're an imbecile : Otherwise...Dexter's doing a favor for Mrs Hudson and walking her dog. Mandark and Olga simultaneously go to the park. What will ensue? ON HIATUS, COME AGAIN
1. Intro

The sun rose over the lush green hills, surrounded by wispy white clouds that streamed across the light orange sky. As rays of light cast over the land, the mockingbirds began to sing melodies to greet the new dawn.

It looked like the start of a perfect day, Dexter had thought to himself while he put on his sneakers. He was sitting outside on his front steps getting ready to walk over to Mrs. Hudson's house down the street. There he would pick up her dog, Sugar, and walk him to the park. It was an odd job that he did every few Saturdays for a bit of pocket cash.

He finished tying his shoes and strolled down the street, feeling the fresh morning air coursing through his body like a rushing river. He breathed it in contentedly, feeling completely refreshed.

Soon he came to the quaint home of Mrs. Hudson's. Pausing for a moment to admire her red roses, he gently opened the gate of the white picket fence surrounding the baby blue house. He ascended the yellow brick steps, which always reminded him of the Wizard of Oz. His observant eyes noticed a slight movement from behind laced curtains at the front window. Soon after he reached the front porch, Dexter heard excited barks from within accompanied by hushing and light scolding.

He pushed the doorbell once, though he did not really need to. Hurried footsteps and more barks sounded. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a kindly old lady.

She had curly, chestnut-brown hair that was tied up neatly into a bun and she wore a golden-yellow shrug with a black dress. She also wore a pendant with a large sapphire surrounded by smaller rubies. Mrs. Hudson wore little make up, as she didn't like the stuff, and looked quite pretty without.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hudson." Dexter greeted. Sugar, a golden retriever, barked happily and wagged his tail when he recognized Dexter.

"Good morning, Dexter." Mrs. Hudson beamed back. "You're just on time - I just finished getting ready."

"Shall I bring him back at the same time as usual?" Dexter inquired, kneeling down to pet Sugar on the head softly.

"Actually, I was hoping you could look after him until about 6:30. Lucas wants to take me to dinner, you see." Mrs. Hudson explained. "I'm willing to pay extra for this trouble, of course."

"Oh, that's fine." Dexter grinned. "It's no trouble, I'll just hang out with him at the park."

"Thank you, you're a lifesaver!" Mrs. Hudson breathed a sigh of relief. She handed the redhead Sugar's leash and a house key. "I've already fed her breakfast, but you'll need to come back here to feed her lunch at around 1. I'll feed her dinner when I get back." She told him. "You know our number already yes?"

"Yes, 727-1408." He recited from memory.

"Excellent. And-"

"Mary, let's go! Dexter knows what to do." Mr. Hudson, (AKA her husband Lucas), called from somewhere in the house.

"Alright, I'm coming!" She answered, then turned quickly back to Dexter.

"Are you sure you don't mind the extra hours? I wouldn't want your mother to worry…"  
"It's really okay." He smiled and stood up with leash in hand. Sugar pulled him off the front porch and down the steps, eager to go. "Have a nice evening, Mrs. Hudson!" He called over his shoulder.

"You too, dear." Mrs. Hudson smiled and closed the door. Soon after, she and her husband pulled out of the driveway and, with a final wave to Dexter, they went off.

Dexter firmly gripped the leash and continued walking down the street, letting Sugar lead the way.

* * *

**Author Notes: If anyone feels like reading, for whatever reason.**

**So hi. It was a long time ago (way too long ago) during the summer of 2008 when I was just chilling at the park with my friends. We saw a girl dig an enormous hole, and hence this idea sprang forth.**

**But of course I've been busy with a lot of stuff..so I never really got around to POSTING the darn thing. So while yaoi-haters and gay-love-haters alike are probably going to vomit, well, it's really their own fault for reading it. That's like me hating fire, and then going and lighting a match for no apparent reason and subsequently burning my house down and driving myself (and everyone around me) CRAZY. It's masochistic, really.**

**Erm, so anyways...I'll go post the rest of this. **

**Feel free to review. Even if it's just a couple words like "Interesting story" or "Not too great", or whatever.  
**


	2. Setting

At the same time, Mandark and Olga began to walk together to the park.

"I hope that Gary brat is there so I can pulverize him again in Frisbee golf." Olga rubbed her hands in anticipation and grinned.

Mandark groaned. "Honestly, you're _obsessed _with that kid."

"I am _not! _He's just fun to beat." Olga protested vehemently.

"Well after watching you two duke it out in basketball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, skateboarding, biking, monkey bars, running, hacky sack, bubblegum blowing, spitting, tree climbing, arm wrestling, Sepak Tecraw, burping, pushups…" Mandark took a deep breath. "…you have to admit he's more than a stranger now."

"I'm just a little competitive. That's all." The raven-haired girl shrugged, her pigtails bobbling up and down with each step.

"A _little_?" Mandark asked incredulously.

"It's still not _obsession-"_

"Suuuure."

"Let's not forget who _the _real obsessive one is here!" Olga reminded her brother.

"Hmm, that's a thought. Maybe you're in love with Gary, then." Mandark teased

"Eww! No, NEVER!" Olga spat, then punched her brother in the arm. "Just for that, I should tell Dexter…"

"Alright, alright I take it back." Mandark rolled his eyes and rubbed his arm.

The siblings arrived at the park, the sun now completely above the hills. There were only a few people at the park, and most of them were children playing on the playground as their parents watched from afar. It was fairly quiet, apart from a few screams once in awhile.

Olga scanned the area, searching for Gary. She did not see him, however, so she opted for sitting down on the grass next to her brother.

--

Dexter waited for the light to change at the crosswalk, staring at the red hand flashing across the street from him. He vaguely remembered that Mandark's laboratory was crimson red, and sighed wistfully. How long had it been since he'd last been invaded by Mandark? It seemed as though it'd been forever ago when the two were at each other's necks in the fight for dominance.

But since they had begun to attend High School, there was increasingly less and less time for laboratory work and more time spent on school work. Even during the summer, Mandark and Dexter attended classes in a local community college in order to get ahead.

A car honk startled Dexter out of his daze, and he snapped back into focus. The light had changed red again, and he had missed the chance to cross over. Sugar looked up at him curiously, wagging his tail.

A dumfounded Dexter pushed the button to cross once more, feeling extremely stupid for all his genius.

When the light finally flashed green once more, Sugar took off at a run, dragging Dexter along with him. They crossed the street without much trouble and entered the park. A large wooden sign that read "Oakwood Park and Recreation" stood at the entrance proudly. A simple wooden fence consisting of stacked logs surrounded the perimeter of the park. There was a also red brick path that winded through the park, and a plain cement path for bicyclists. These were placed on opposing sides, so pet-walkers wouldn't collide with those riding their bikes.

Between these paths lay the rest of the park. There was one hill, green as emerald, that had a both pear and oak trees scattered upon it. At the bottom of this hill was a metal goal for frisbee golf, and a small theater for the plays and concerts at night. Next to these was a large sandpit with two large volleyball nets. Finally, on the other side of the pit was a playground enclosed in a thick grove of trees.

Sugar sniffed the air and barked eagerly. He dragged Dexter over to the playground, just out of Mandark's view.


	3. the stage

"Mandark?" Olga murmured as she lay in the grass staring at the sky.

"Yeah?" He didn't look up from his book, but she knew he was listening, despite his seemingly indifferent attitude.

"I'm boooreeed!" She sighed with frustration.

"You should've brought a book, sis." Mandark turned a page in his book.

"Books are for nerds, like you and Dexter." Olga yawned and rolled over on her stomach, plucking a few white flowers out of the ground as she did so.

"Nerds rule the world." He retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, sure…"

"Bill Gates is a good example." Mandark smiled coyly, but good naturedly.

"Bill Gates never finished college, though. I don't think he should count." Olga replied, putting the stem of the white flower in her mouth.

Her brother shrugged and went back to reading. Olga just sighed again, throwing her flowers away and sitting back up. She stared aimlessly around the park. One kid was crying because he'd gotten hit by a frisbee, two kids were biking, a couple was kissing, a guy was eating a picnic, a girl was rolling down the hill, teens were playing volleyball, someone was digging a hole…

"Wait a second." Olga suddenly stood up and ran down the hill towards the sandpit while Mandark looked on curiously.

A pile of sand barely missed Olga once she'd neared the hole. She peered inside.

"Hello?" The boy inside stopped digging and looked up, a mop of golden-blonde hair falling over his slightly chubby face.

"Oh, hi Olga." He greeted.

"...What are you doing, Gary?" The raven-haired girl frowned.

"Diggin'" He stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"_Why?" _She asked incredulously.

"…'Cause." He answered, as if this made perfect sense, and continued digging.

Olga almost felt her eye twitch. "That's stupid. You're just going to hit cement after a few more feet."

Gary just shrugged his shoulders. "More than you could dig, anyways." He challenged, with a competitive gleam in his piercing green eyes.

"You're on!" Olga exclaimed.

And thus began the…well, digging competition.

Mandark, rolling his eyes, seated himself at another tree that was closer to the sandpit.

--

Dexter had met a very nice elderly lady at the park, whose dog apparently was friends with Sugar. As the two dogs played together, he politely chatted with her. The conversation went a little like this:

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" The old woman remarked.

"Yes, it is quite nice," Dexter agreed whole heartedly, as both watched the dogs chasing each other in circles.

"What's your name, sweetie?"

"Dexter."

"Are you in middle school, dear?" She inquired.

"No, miss. High School." He answered.

"You look rather young for your age."

"A lot of people tell me that." Dexter replied, knowing that this was just a nice way of saying "You're freaking short."

"I see." A silence stretched before them for a few minutes.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" She remarked once more, seeming to have forgotten their conversation up until this point.

Dexter just groaned inwardly.


	4. I've fallen for you

A couple hours later, Mandark laid his book down on the grass behind him and stretched his arms into the air with a small yawn. His sister was still digging like mad, and she'd now reached 5 feet below ground level.

"Do you want to go get some lunch now?" Mandark asked as he approached the gigantic hole.

"Just a few more inches!" Olga responded, digging her hands into the soft sand and throwing it behind her.

Her brother frowned disapprovingly. "You're covered in dirt."

"Yep!" She beamed proudly.

"Come on!" The raven-haired boy grabbed his sisters arm and pulled her out of the hole, much to her disdain.

He later made it up to her by buying a triple scoop of mint chocolate chip with sprinkles.

--

Meanwhile, Dexter, who had become insanely bored with talking to the forgetful old lady, dragged Sugar out of the park back to Mrs. Hudson's house.

He just missed Mandark by 30 seconds.

--

It was around 4:30 when Dexter and Sugar returned to the park. The sun was just beginning to set behind the western hills, casting the sky and clouds in a peaceful red and orange glow. The shadows of trees stretched across the park, and tired children began to head home.

Even Sugar, who was usually full of energy, was feeling a little sleepy. He quietly led Dexter through the park in an aimless manner, stopping only to sniff the occasional flower or tree. Both dog and dog-walker had no real goal, no errand to attend to, and were content to just wander around.

But once they neared the center of the park, past the trees and down the hill, Dexter halted suddenly. From the way he tightly gripped the leash and looked intently beyond the trees, Sugar could simply tell, she knew, in fact, that his caretaker had seen something of great importance to him. The golden retriever looked ahead, curious as to what had so easily drawn his temporary master's attention.

When Sugar saw the silhouette of a boy, he felt rather disappointed. That was it? He seemed to think to himself. Nothing much, just a boy. Just another boy.

The dog sat down, feeling Dexter's hand shaking as he held the leash, and listening to his breathing grow quicker and quicker. Sugar was bemused, but still slightly confused.

Dexter finally took a deep breath. Sugar observed him with interest, wondering what he planned to do next. Soon after, Dexter gave a slight tug of the leash and led Sugar over towards the boy of his desire, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

Sugar obliged him, curious to see what would happen next.

Mandark was sitting against an oak tree, gazing lazily at what seemed to be nothing in particular. He had already finished reading his book twice, and it lay beside him under his hand.

Dexter approached cautiously, letting Sugar lead the way.

"Hey Mandark," Dexter greeted. The raven-haired boy looked up, a quick gleam of recognition in his hazel eyes.

His breathing too, Sugar noted, was also fast like Dexter's.

"Hello." Mandark gave a small smile and glanced at the golden retriever inquisitively.

Sugar began to sniff Mandark's book, giving Dexter a reason to continue standing there.

"So…what're you doing here?" Dexter inquired shyly.

"Watching my sister dig this stupid hole." Mandark sighed, nodding towards the sandpit.

Dexter frowned. "Won't she just hit cement after a few feet?" He questioned logically, watching as another pile of dirt flew over the top.

"Probably. That didn't stop her though." Mandark rolled his eyes for probably the 100th time that day.

Sugar trotted over to Olga's hole in the sandpit, his leash just long enough to allow him to peer over the edge without forcing Dexter to follow. He barked once and Olga, clad in a now very brown tutu, jumped and looked up. She grinned when she saw the golden retriever.

"Hey there, little guy." She greeted and tried to reach up to the dog to pet him, with no success.

"Oops. I think I might've dug it a little bit too deep…" Olga murmured to herself aloud. "Crap."

Sugar cocked his head to the side and blinked as if in understanding.

Olga sighed.

"I don't suppose you could get Mandark for me?" She asked, not really expecting a real answer.

But to her surprise, the dog disappeared for a few moments and returned with her brother.

And Dexter.

Oh shoot. The raven-haired girl thought to herself. I probably just totally interrupted a moment between them.

Sugar just wagged his tail playfully.

Mandark sighed and reached down with his hand, which Olga gripped tightly and pulled herself up. She had to jump quite a bit too, but all of that ballet practice came in handy for situations like these.

When she clambered out of the hole, she dusted herself off as best as she could. Mandark began to walk away from the sandpit, muttering something about getting his book and going home.

Dexter stared after him, entranced.

"Hey Dexter, whatcha doin' here?" Olga asked, noticing the fact that he was staring at her brother. "Dexter? Hello?"

"Oh, um…" Dexter snapped out of his daze. "Well..I'm just walking Sugar around…" His voice lowered to a murmur when Mandark returned to join them. "I-I guess I should continue doing that…"

"I suppose we should start heading back…" Mandark shrugged, equally unenthusiastic.

Olga just groaned inwardly. She needed a plan to get them to stay - NOW!

"Woof, woof!" Sugar barked suddenly. The three jumped, startled. The golden retriever took this opportunity to snatch Mandark's book from his hand.

"My book!" Mandark wheeled around, and Sugar took of at a run, and the leash slipped through Dexter's fingers.

"Sugar, no!" Dexter called, desperately trying to grab a hold of the bouncing leash as he chased Sugar. "Um…uh…bad dog?"

Sugar seemed to giggle, as a dog could only giggle, and a twinkle shone in his eye. He continued to lead Dexter all over the park in circles, but still never strayed too far from the sandpits.

Mandark and Olga watched, though her brother wanted to try and get his book back, Olga pointed out that the dog is technically Dexter's responsibility.

"You'd only hurt his pride if you help him." She added, although at the moment it looked as if Dexter needed all the help he could get.

Mandark frowned uncertainly. "But-"

"Gotcha!" Dexter shouted triumphantly, diving for Sugar with a last burst of energy.

Falling straight into Olga's hole.

Mandark rushed to the edge, kneeling so that he could help his crush out (and in the process, temporarily hold his hand.)

But Olga had other plans. With a small push, Mandark toppled into the hole as well, landing on top of Dexter, who had only just sat up.

A cloud of dust and sand flew into the air once Mandark had hit the bottom. Olga, looking over from the top, couldn't make out what was going on at all. She cursed inwardly to herself, remembering that she had also forgotten to bring a camera.

Sugar, now quite pleased with himself, sat down next to Olga. She patted his head gratefully.

Back in the hole, Mandark found himself lying on top of Dexter, the boy of his dreams. It was nice, he decided, despite the fact that his heads, knees, and arms had smacked cold dirt. He felt warm and tingly, like a fire had spread throughout his body - the first flames springing straight from him heart.

Dexter, too, had felt the spark. His body seemed to pulse with energy - it was as though a jolt of electricity was running through him. His body had immediately responded, and unconsciously the scientist's legs parted, as though granting entry.

Dexter also realized that Mandark's head was quite near his neck. He turned towards the other, but ended up staring at the sleek, raven hair he had dreamed of running his fingers through so many times. Unconsciously again, Dexter breathed in the scent of Mandark.

So this is what he smells like. Dexter thought, almost losing himself in the feeling.

He snapped out of his trance, aware that he was still lying down with his crush and supposedly archenemy in an extremely awkward position.

"Uh…Mandark?" Can you possibly…get off now?" Dexter asked both hesitantly and reluctantly then winced at his poor choice of words. "Get off"…that sounds…

"Oh…er…" Mandark quickly raised himself upward, getting onto his feet. "Sorry." He apologized, flushing.

"I-it's okay…" Dexter said, looking away timidly. He brought his legs together, and sat up, shaking sand off his back.

Mandark wiped off the sand on his clothes and head, sighing. He then stood up and looked above him. "Sis, give us a hand." He called.

She didn't reply.

"SIS! LALAVAVA!" He called louder at the sky. Still no answer.

Dexter cocked his head to one side." Lalavava?" He asked curiously.

"…Pet name. Nick name. Just...another name." Mandark explained quickly, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Olga, at the moment, was treating Sugar and herself to a vanilla cone from the ice cream man on the street.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Mandark shouted in futility at the heavens. He reached towards the top of the hole in vain, but even on tiptoe it was just too tall for him.

Dexter looked on in dismay, feeling helpless and horribly short. And at the same time, guilty, for it was his fault they were both stuck in this stupid hole.

"Um…" He muttered, while Mandark banged his head against the wall in frustration. "You know…you could boost me up and I could help get you out of here in return."

"…Oh." Mandark realized, pausing to rest his head against the wall. (Got your head in the sand there, eh Mandark? Sorry couldn't resist). "That's…a good idea, actually."

The raven-haired boy turned towards the other, getting down on his knees and cupping his hands together. He couldn't help but feel a bit awkward in this position, pretty much anything that involved getting down on ones knees referred to either proposal, begging, or…cough.

Dexter was simultaneously thinking the same thing(s), unbeknownst to Mandark. But there was no time for idle chat, so he cautiously put his left foot in the hand and felt himself being lifted up to the sky. It reminded him of how DeeDee used to pick him up when he was little, and spun him around in a mix of a ballet dance and her own style. Although, this time he wasn't being held securely, and he certainly wasn't little and innocent.

The red-haired boy grabbed the edge of the hole, some grains of sand falling as he did so, and hoisted himself up. Mandark's eyes followed him upwards, unable to resist taking a glance (and perhaps a mental picture for later) of Dexter's, ah, interesting lower body parts. Okay, fine, he peeked at his ass.

But hey, he was a hormonal teenager who hadn't even gone past first base yet. (He had yet to step up to the plate, moreover.) What did you expect?

Dexter heaved himself out of the hole, struggling a bit but eventually doing it in the end. He dusted most of the sand off before he leaned over the hole (1), reaching down to firmly grasp Mandark's outstretched hand, and relishing the warmth that enveloped his palm and danced lightly on his fingers. The red-haired boy pulled with all his strength while Mandark jumped as high as possible, his shoes skidding the side of the hole as he did so. He was half-lifted out, and half-climbed out. When at last he made it, the two boys simply lay on the sand panting from the exertion with their hands still intertwined. Nothing would have made them happier than to lie there forever, under the setting sun and wispy clouds.

"HEY! You two! What do you think you're doing?" An angry voice from behind shouted. Both boys shot up in panic, and looked behind them to see an infuriated policewoman, her face beet red and her eyes narrowed in a hateful glare. Mandark's brain, analyzing the situation, offered him little consolation and stated 'If looks could kill.' Dexter, for once, had a look of utter bafflement (which Mandark found adorable, but he would never admit that) until his eyes slowly traveled from Mandark's worried eyes, to his broad shoulder, down his arm, to their hands. His emerald eyes widened and immediately he snatched his hand back, feeling a blush as red as his hair creep upon his cheeks.

Their hearts beat faster when the policewoman began stomping towards them, obviously about to deal out some severe punishment. Dexter winced and closed his eyes, his heart thumping madly, and his hand shaking with trepidation.

"Stealing is a felony! Get away from that ice cream truck right now!" The woman walked past them, screaming at Olga and Sugar, who had been helping themselves to some chocolate tacos.

Mandark quickly realized that they weren't in trouble, feeling a sense of relief wash over him.

…Then he realized that it was his little sister, who he was in charge of, that was currently being yelled at by a police officer.

Which was, well, bad.

The temporary wave of relief vanished, replaced once more by panic. Then, calmness. Worrying would do nothing of the situation, his brain assessed, and his demeanor became much more tranquil as he stood up and dusted himself off. He prepared to walk over to the police officer and explain that it had been his responsibility to look after her, and that he would pay the ice cream man back in full.

And that would have been a GREAT way to resolve everything, talking it out as mature adults (well, almost-adults anyways) should do.

Before Mandark could even say anything, before he could even START to explain…his little sister, along with the sugar-high dog, made a run for it.

--

(1) …Doesn't this sentence just sound odd? I was thinking this as I typed it and decided to leave it there. I have a weird sense of humor LOL.

**Author Notes: Well Chapter 5 should be up soon. *Working on it right now*  
**

**Maybe I should change the title from oneshot to just...Into the Rabbit Hole. Because it's definitely not a oneshot anymore. **


	5. When I hear you speak

No real warning, but would like to say this is more of a filler chapter. You'll see why as you read. Sorry if it's kind of boring for awhile.

--

The first thing that Mandark thought was…

_Giving you a run for your money, eh? _

Then the tune…_I fought the law and the law won…_

And finally…_Damn it. _

Dexter stared at the fading figures for a moment before thinking the same thing.

He glanced up at Mandark, who glanced back down at him worriedly. The sun would set (completely) soon, and both had set curfews to uphold.

The red-haired boy got up and, in a silent agreement, the two walked out of the park together without telling the officer anything. Meanwhile, the policewoman was explaining what had happened to the ice cream man, who looked very unhappy at the loss of his ice cream. She chose not to chase the crazy raven-haired girl tonight, deciding that she would just keep a lookout while on patrol for the next few weeks.

At first, there was silence, save for the occasional scuffling of feet against hard pavement. Few cars passed by on the streets, their taillights swiftly fading into the distance, and the warm night hung like a veil over their heads. Their shadows trailed behind them as dark companions, long and opaque.

At last, Mandark broke the silence. "What time do you have to be back?" He inquired.

"Six thirty at Mrs. Hudson's. Then home by seven, at the most." The redhead sighed. "What about you?"

"Home by seven, like you." Both were quiet for a moment. "You'd think that we'd be the least likely to worry about curfews, considering we're both genii."

"Eh, my parents don't even notice half the time. I rarely listen to their lectures, I'm too busy postulating the Pythagoras theory of eight, or re-reading Shakespeare in my head when they talk to me." Dexter rolled his eyes.

"Ah. An eidetic (1) memory?" Mandark raised an eyebrow.

"You could say that. I can recall most images that I've seen, but…" Dexter's brow furrowed, trying to express his thoughts. "Even if I take mental pictures of a book, I find it better to read it in real life. That's what helps me understand the concepts, rather than just staring at the text."

"True." Mandark agreed. "Reading is fun anyways. Except for perhaps e-books."

"Ugh." Dexter shuddered. "E-books are the work of the devil. Nobody in their right mind would read 300 pages by staring at a computer screen."

"Not many people read nowadays anyways." Mandark commented, kicking a nearby pebble. "I can see humanity becoming something like the story Fahrenheit 451. (2)"

"I disagree. There will always be people who appreciate books, even if it _seems _like not many enjoy reading..." Dexter paused, thinking for a moment. "Books...will never be completely eradicated so long as the people need to express their views and opinions. Besides, to burn every single book in the world is impossible at this point."

"Perhaps." Mandark murmured quietly.

Another silence fell before them, but this time it was more comfortable, more tranquil. It was the kind of quiet in which both were contemplating, and recording this precious conversation into memory.

"I never did find out what type of genius you are, Mandark." Dexter blurted abruptly, suddenly very curious to know.

"Type?" Mandark cocked his head to the side.

"As in, how do you learn most effectively? Visuals…audial…"

"Hmm. Well I certainly don't have a photographic memory but..." Mandark trailed off for a moment. "I remember a lot of things that I hear from others. Phonographic memory, perhaps?"

Dexter nodded. "That must make things a lot easier."

"There are some things in life that you never want to hear." Mandark said gravely.

Dexter blinked. "Likewise there are some you never want to see, either."

"True." Mandark murmured. "Or understand, for that matter. Knowledge, wonderful as it is, comes with a price. Knowledge is fleeting. We're lucky to have it at our disposal, while others struggle for it. By the time they get to the level we're at, their lives will likely already be half over."

"I suppose." Dexter frowned. "But at least they will have had it."

"People don't want knowledge anyhow; they want love." The raven-haired teen shook his head.

"Everyone wants love, Mandark. It's human nature." He retorted.

"And that's what is getting in the way of advancing human kind."

"Wrong, it's the opposite - it spurs humans to achieve new heights." Dexter argued.

"It can distract people from gaining knowledge and contributing to society."

"In some cases, maybe. But love…it's so…indescribable. It makes you feel so…elated, so joyful. It's having someone there who is always there for you, someone who cares for you and holds you in your times of need. People would strive to please their loved ones and support them, using their knowledge."

"And isn't that the problem. Nobody learns for the love _of_ learning, they do it to get into a good college and have a nice job and settle down and have a family. I'm not saying having a nice job is bad, but it shouldn't be the only reason that one seeks knowledge. Now, it's only about getting out of school to do what you want, or to do what makes the most money."

"People would want knowledge to do what they wanted - they have to be interested in it and thus want to learn it."

"It's not just about what you love, though…what about learning _other _things? What about learning for the sake of learning, even if it's all useless for you? What's wrong with knowing more than you have to about a certain subject? You hear people saying everyday that they hate a class because "they won't use it in real life", but isn't the point of school to learn? To expand your horizons, explore other subjects besides the one you wish to pursue."

Dexter contemplated for a moment. "That-"

But before he could reply, he was met with happy barking when a certain golden retriever bounded up and tackled him lovingly. Dexter quickly grabbed Sugar's leash, which was now very beat up and worn from dragging on the ground so long, and wrapped it around his wrist until it was securely fastened.

Olga, panting and exhausted, followed behind Sugar at a much slower pace. The chocolate had worn off, and she was dead tired from all of the exercise she had gotten today.

Mandark smiled to himself, and sighed aloud. "Let me guess - piggyback?"

Olga nodded, and Mandark hoisted her onto his back so she could rest against his shoulder and fall asleep. Her muddy tutu got some dirt on his originally clean white shirt, but he didn't mind.

The sun had finally set behind the hills, leaving the twinkling stars up above to light their way home.

The raven-haired boy walked with the other to Mrs. Hudson's house, prepared to take full responsibility for Dexter's tardiness. They approached the blue house cautiously. The lights were off and it appeared that no one was at home, luckily for Dexter. He put away Sugar's leash and replaced the house key under the doormat, saying a final good-bye to the retriever after taking a quick glance at the clock.

"It's 6:50 now" Dexter informed Mandark when he closed Mrs. Hudson's gate shut. "I don't think you'll make it by curfew to your house…"

Mandark groaned. "Dang."

Dexter glanced up shyly at the taller boy, who wore an expression of worry and guilt. Despite this, he was still quite handsome when his face was bathed in the moonlight.

He wanted more time with Mandark. He didn't want to just go home to his sterile laboratory and tinker away at new inventions. Dexter wanted to talk to him, to discuss, to debate, to agree. He wanted to talk to someone of his own caliber. Someone like Mandark.

Before he could even think, Dexter quickly blurted out a question.

"Wanna stay at my place?"

It was a quick, rash decision. It was a question that many teens before him had said before, it was one of the most commonplace and casual things to ask.

Naturally, Mandark's equally sudden reply "Sure", was the proper reply to such a question.

--

(1) A fancy term for "photographic" memory.

(2) Basic lowdown on Fahrenheit 451 - people in the future burned books and denounced them, and instead they watched television all day. It was very pessimistic, and anyone who had books was killed, etc.

**A few consistency notes to add here. I know that in the cartoon / tv show / whatever Dexter technically had friends...but none of them were ever really that smart. And he doesn't seem the type to randomly invite people to actually SLEEP over, because someone might sleepwalk into his laboratory and freak out, tell his parents, etc. Thus he's never really asked anyone to stay over, plus he's not the type to do things spontaneously. So it makes more sense for him to invite Mandark, who already knows about his laboratory, and who is also a genius and can discuss really high level topics with him.**

**Oh. And Olga's gonna stay in DeeDee's room. They're both going to be Yaoi fangirls, mwahahaha. Maybe they'll take incriminating photos of Dexter and Mandark cuddling, or something. **

**I know, I'm twisting everyone's character. ^^  
**


	6. I want to know your thoughts

_"Wanna stay at my place?"_

_It was a quick, rash decision. It was a question that many teens before him had said before; it was one of the most commonplace and casual things to ask. _

_Naturally, Mandark's equally sudden reply "Sure", was the proper reply to such a question. _

--

It had been so easy. A simple question, a simple answer.

Normally, Dexter wouldn't be feeling quite so elated at an accomplishment (he'd made so many in his laboratory before) but this feeling…was different. It was a thrill that ran through his body, paralleling that which he had when he had discovered or created something, but felt different all the same. His first sleepover_ ever _was going to happen _tonight_.

He was excited, to say the least. Excited, slightly nervous, and apprehensive. What do people normally do at sleepovers?

His mind flashed back to the many instances that DeeDee had invited LeeLee and MiMi (or MeeMee?) to stay over, the majority of their nights consisting of makeovers, dancing, talking about hot guys, and dressing up (now that he thought about it, it usually ended up in him wearing a bright pink tutu with cherry red lipstick and white tights. Maybe that's why he turned bi).

Perhaps the question he should be asking is - What did _boys _normally do at sleepovers?

Then he wondered - What if mom doesn't let him have a sleepover?

After all, he didn't even tell his parents that he wanted to have a guest over. He rarely did, unless it was for some D and D role playing, or watching Star Trek marathons. But he really, really did not want to tell Mandark about these little "hobbies" - because while Mandark was prone to don strange costumes and capes back in Elementary, he had no idea what the raven-haired teen was interested in _now. _

But while Dexter was pondering this, they approached his house and Dexter unlocked the door, turning the key with apprehension.

--

Switch POV. Inside the House.

Dexter's dad sat stiffly in his La-Z boy Recliner, staring at the ticking grandfather clock. In his lap was a newspaper, long forgotten. He tapped his fingers with each tick the clock made, his stare intensifying with each second.

The innocent clock continued to swing its pendulum. The minute hand, which now pointed at 6:59 made its final move...

"I'm home!" Dexter called just as the clock struck 7. His father relaxed back into his chair, easing back as though he hadn't been waiting for his son to break curfew for the first time in his life.

"Welcome back, son." He greeted warmly. "Oh, who's this?" He smiled curiously at Mandark, who felt a bit awkward.

"This is Mandark and his little sister, Olga. He's a…uh…" Dexter paused for a moment, wondering if he should say it or not. But hell, he was breaking rules already by inviting a guest over without warning. What's a little more brazenness? "A friend. Can he sleep over tonight?"

"Of course he can! We're always glad to have people over." A shock of red hair popped out from the kitchen, answering for him. Dexter's mother beamed at Mandark and his sister. "If you two haven't already had dinner, I've made some pasta for tonight that should be ready in about 15 minutes."

Mandark smiled back politely, the smile he reserved specifically for adults and elders. "We would quite enjoy that. Thank you very much."

Olga, awake by now, also thanked his parents and Mandark gently let her off his back so she could stand on her own. Dexter decided that the greetings were officially OVER, and dragged both upstairs while his father went to call Mandark's parents and inform them of their children's whereabouts, and his mother checked on the cooking pasta.

--

POV switch: Mandark 

_"He's…a friend." _The words echoed throughout Mandark's mind, filling him with elation. Granted he was _pretty _sure of this fact when Dexter asked him to stay over, but having it out in the open made it tenfold better. He couldn't remember a time where he'd felt so giddy, everything was happening a rush.

A friend.

--

POV switch: Olga

Olga was going to have a field day tomorrow, already planning on teasing Mandark for his new friend. Which you could technically call "Boyfriend" since Dexter WAS a boy…and now definitely a friend.

She smiled to herself blissfully, her cheeriness continuing even as she knocked on the door to her archival DeeDee's room.

When the blonde opened the door, glancing down at the girl who had been her enemy in dancing ever since third grade, she was certainly surprised. Her shock could only be matched by Olga's when she invited her inside.

--

POV switch: Dexter

Dexter nervously escorted Mandark to his room. This was only the second time he'd ever had Mandark over at his house, the first being when they had been in elementary school, years ago. He remembered, with startling accuracy, how the taller boy had scrutinized his greatest works (at the time) and demonstrated his obvious superiority over Dexter. Somehow the raven-haired teen had managed to best him even though he had only moved there two weeks ago, with only as many resources as the redhead, while Dexter had taken years to build his laboratory. He had given Dexter two choices - become his lackey or shut down his laboratory forever.

Thinking back on that now, perhaps Dexter SHOULD have taken the choice to become his lackey.

He hesitated before opening the door to his room, recalling this incident. His brain deduced a 34.65 percent chance that Mandark could do something to hurt him again, and his paranoid side of him vehemently agreed. But, his heart told him firmly, people could change. And the teen had had, oh, counting this year about 8 years to change. Which was 2920 days. And of these days, 2190 had been spent during middle school and some of high school, in which Mandark never invaded his laboratory, threw an insult at him, or anything else for that matter. He was quieter now, more soft-spoken. And more pessimistic, when asked for an opinion. Mandark had changed, as had Dexter.

With that, Dexter walked resolutely into his room, Mandark following close behind.

--

Switch POV: Mandark (First person)

His room. Neat and clean, as expected of Dexter. I take note of everything - the yellow lamp, the desk riddled with stacks of paper, the soft, cream-colored carpet, a red striped rug, the bed that he slept in every night, the bookshelf and the pile of books on his nightstand, everything there was that to be taken in, I integrated fully into my memory.

At first glance his bedroom looks very plain, but remembering about his secret laboratory, I suppose that was his point. On the walls there are some posters - one of Einstein with E equals MC Squared in bold, white letters. There's also a large one of Mendeleev's periodic table, with some scribbled notes at the bottom. I'm guessing he was experimenting with electron orbitals at one point, and figured out how to pinpoint the exact location of an electron when it was flying around the nucleus. (1)

I also see that he's discovered two new elements, but before I could examine further he quickly dragged me away, mumbling about how he wasn't quite done with his postulations and theories and that it wasn't very interesting anyways. I thought one of the elements was labeled "Mk" (2), but I could be wrong.

"It actually looked very fascinating -" I protested, wondering about the new elements and their properties. "You could win a Noble Prize for these new discoveries."

My eyes wandered to his desk, and the countless mathematical theorems and hypotheses that had been hastily scrawled down.

_He must have spent hours on these. _I thought fondly as I picked one up from a stack and read through it. Dexter wrote in capital letters for key phrases or terms, and italics for small notes or details. His ideas were to the point - clearly stated without any ambiguous words, and he clarified many things that were once unknown or vague. He could easily write a book explaining to the scientific community his thoughts and feelings on a subject.

As I looked through his research, I could hear him shuffling around his room somewhere behind me, rolling up the poster and stashing it somewhere.

I vaguely wondered if I could ask to see his laboratory, or if it would be rude for me to do so. The last memories of me in his laboratory were obviously ones that he would not be fond of (Unless recklessly invading and destroying half the things he took hours to complete was something to be happy about).

I stayed quiet, occasionally glancing over at the redhead who was sifting through his closet. He got down on his knees to search further back, and I couldn't help but stare at him, bent over like that. Dexter certainly isn't fat, probably due to the laboratory building and working he does every day. It makes me wonder why he's never had a girlfriend (at least, not that I know of). He's quiet, but he answers other student's questions when they ask for help. He doesn't try to cause any trouble with people. He's brilliant, and he doesn't show it off anymore. He's actually very cute without his glasses.

And before you ask - no I didn't take a photo of him without his glasses while he was sleeping...

…DeeDee did for 50 bucks. It was well-worth it.

I'm pretty sure that if I stare any longer I won't be able to restrain myself, so I forced myself to focus on his research notes, which are now being very tightly gripped in my hands. Think of something unsexy before your mind starts wandering into the gutter.

Mr. Lebowski in a thong.

Well, that was fast.

"Uhh, I have a sleeping bag but I think it's too short for you. Otherwise I could get the yoga mat and some blankets." Dexter said randomly, pulling out his sleeping bag from the closet. "Definitely too short."

"You do yoga?" I asked incredulously, trying to envision Dexter doing the various exercises I had seen mother and father do daily. The thought of Dexter in adho mukha shvanasana position flashed in my mind, and I forced myself to push them away. (3)

"No, we just got it for Christmas this one time. We never figured out what to do with it so we just left it in the closet." The teen stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll be back in a moment."

--

Switch POV: Olga (third person)

Olga had no idea to expect when she entered DeeDee's room, gazing around at the frilly pinkness of it all. The four-poster bed was lined with lace, her stool was adorned with magenta colored ribbons, and a pink vanity that was overloaded with STUFF - cosmetics, drawings, ribbons, and various other things - greeted her.

And as she sat in a nearby fluffy bunny beanbag chair, she wondered if she could ever befriend this person who was her opposite in everything (except, perhaps, in their love of ballet dancing. And tutus, but Olga wouldn't admit that in a million years).

Truly opposites, with few parallels.

_What could I possibly have in common with her? _The raven-haired teen thought. _What the _hell _am I supposed to talk about? _

Vaguely, she recalled her hobbies. Writing (mostly yaoi), reading (mostly yaoi), dancing, and being annoying to her older brother.

But it felt weird to mention yaoi, DeeDee probably didn't even know what it meant. And to explain it would be…awkward, to say the least.

It also would be strange of her to mention dancing, it might bring up bad memories of them dancing on stage in gigantic robots and battling it out, causing destruction and havoc everywhere.

That left only one thing, then…

"So…does Dexter like Mandark?" Olga asked casually.

--

(1) I really am bad at Chemistry so I apologize for any lame sounding…chemistry..explanations that will ensue. If you want a further explanation here's my best shot -

Orbitals are defined as high probability regions. They're essentially little clouds that MIGHT have electrons floating around in them. I don't know why the heck Schrödinger decided to call these clouds "orbitals", because they don't actually orbit the nucleus. They just float around randomly, not in perfect circles as Bohr suggested. Nobody can really predict for certain where the electrons will be in this little cloud. So they sort of guess, and since nobody can really prove it or disprove it, they leave it at that.

(2) A reference to another fanfiction in this fandom someone wrote a long time ago. Search Gilded monomaniac, or possibly go into the DexDark community and find it and read it if you're interested. It's a really great story.

(3) It looks a lot like a sex position to me. Anyhow, Mandark's parents seem the type to do yoga and meditate …they're hippies, after all!

**Author Notes: Sorry for the frequent POV changes. My mind works in weird ways, kind of like movie-style where it can switch at a moment to another person in the same point in time. Hopefully it wasn't too jumpy for the reader. **

**And oh my god, Fusion fall!!! I only just found out about it today. I totally want to play it now, but I'm going to have to wait until summer when I have the time to. but DEXTER in ANIME STYLE! GASP! AND MANDARK TOO!**

**Oh, and speaking of which - I realized that Dexter actually has blue eyes a little too late. So sorry, in this fic he has green eyes I guess. I like green eyes with red hair anyways, it just looks cool to me. **


	7. But I'm scared of what you think

_"So…does Dexter like Mandark?" Olga asked casually._

--

Simple questions can often lead to many complications. This one was no different.

A rather awkward silence ensued soon after. DeeDee fumbled for words to say, there were so many responses that she could reply with that whizzed through her head, colliding and jumbling together. Then there was the question of morality and loyalty to her brother. Her little brother, who tried so hard to keep his secret safe, who didn't want _anyone _to know, especially not the _sister _of his love interest. And while DeeDee may not have been a genius like her brother, she knew better than to do that, for sure. In her opinion, gossip was only fun when it involved your friends or students you didn't know (which made up at least ninety-percent of gossip), but bringing family members into it was generally where DeeDee drew the line.

But, if Olga was interested in cooperating to get their two brothers to date…it would be well-worth it for all. A sort of win-win-win-_win _situation (1).

Unless she was actually interested in Dexter and wanted him for herself. Then that would be bad. Because then you have a love triangle…and those were absolutely no fun.

But while the blonde contemplated this (she really did need time to think about this), she failed to hear the light footsteps of her mother outside her door.

"Dinner's ready." Mrs. McPhearson (2) popped her head into the room.

The two girls got up, Olga feeling slightly regretful for asking something so obviously personal in the first place. She doubted DeeDee even knew if Dexter _had _a crush, much less who it was.

And normal people usually don't fall in love with or crush on their archrivals. (Mandark didn't count as normal, of course.)

The two went down to dinner, and Mrs. McPhearson went to inform the boys about the pasta that awaited them.

--

"Doubly Special Relativity, arising from Loop Quantum Gravity, predicts a time lag in higher light frequencies proportional to the energy of the light times the Plank length, so it could be observed by studying gamma rays, and therefore LQG is more testable than string theory, which makes few predictions other than the "anthropic principle". (3) Dexter argued effectively, waving some papers with formulas and diagrams at Mandark.

The other scoffed. "Pfft. In comparison to String Theory, which clearly-"

"Kids?" Dexter's mother interrupted their highly intellectual conversation. "It's time for dinner." She smiled, blissfully unaware of the heated debate which had transpired. As far as she knew, Dexter was absolutely normal.

The three went down to join the rest of the guests and family members for dinner.

--

The family and guests sat down at the dining table, steaming bowls of freshly cooked pasta arranged neatly for them. Mrs. McPhearson and Mr. McPhearson each sat at one end of the rectangular table, or the "heads". DeeDee and Olga sat next to each other on the left, and Dexter and Mandark on the right side of the table.

Having rarely gone to other people's houses for dinner, it was no surprise that Mandark was a bit confused when Dexter's parents put their heads down, and didn't immediately begin eating. Luckily, he was fast enough to connect the dots, and followed the rule _When in Rome…_

"Dexter, would you like to say grace?" His mother said politely, for it was not really a question, but more of a admission of permission.

"Yes, mother." Dexter cleared his throat and folded his hands in his lap in a praying manner. Mandark peeked over at him, watching as the boy solemnly said grace. "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this food we are about to receive. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

He never thought Dexter would ever be the religious type. But then again, perhaps he was just following his mother's whim.

As everyone began eating, Dexter's father took the opportune time to say strange things and embarrass his son.

"So…Manfred, is it?" He asked, starting conversation.

"Mandark, sir."

"Ahh. I knew someone with that name once."

Mandark looked at him with incredulity, not knowing what to say. Dexter groaned with frustration in his pasta.

"No, really! Ah, it was the year of 73…"

"Dad, can you pass the salt please." Dexter interrupted, before his father could launch into a long-winded spiel of his college years.

"Of course, son. Now, what was I talking about?" The blonde smiled innocently. "Oh, it was the year of 73..."

Dexter glanced across the table with pleading eyes. _DeeDee! Make him stop! _

She raised an eyebrow back at him. _And what will you give me?_

_Anything! Please, this is so embarrassing! _His eyes darted to his father, who was still rambling on in the background, with Mandark listening to be polite but wasn't really interested.

DeeDee smirked and rubbed her chin, as if thinking. _Hmmm. _

_DeeDee! _

She smiled and winked. _You. Owe. Me. _

"Daddy!" The blonde teen intervened, with an angelic smile on her face. "Why don't you tell us about how your day went?"

"Why, sure! Well, I was sitting in my office when the darndest thing happened…"

As Mr. McPhearson launched into a long and nonsensical ramble about his day, Dexter sighed with relief.

--

(1) That is a LOT of wins. Idea of win-win-win-win stolen from The Office. (I love Michael!)

(2) Apparently that's Dexter's last name. (I don't know where it came from either) He's Irish! ^^ I so need to draw him in a T-shirt that says Kiss me I'm Irish.

But he has a Russian accent. Maybe he's Russian-Irish. Sure, why not?

(3) Uh, yeah I have no idea what this says either. But it sounds smartsicles. Idea from The Big Bang Theory (The show), kind of…when Sheldon and Leslie argue about theories. . . I'M NOT A NERD I SWEAR!

**Comparing myself to other various fanfics, I really, really rush this story. My gosh. They're already friends in just a few chapters with no real conflict between the two rivals.**

**Deepest apologies for this. It was originally meant to be a oneshot, so I wasn't really expecting to do anything more with it. Thanks for reading.**

**Oh. And I'm thinking of new story ideas…while juggling schoolwork (I'm definitely not getting straight A's this year, aha). And dealing with friendship severs and ties, with a bunch of other crap going on. So more apologies for not updating frequently. **


	8. You leave me breathless and confused

After a slightly-awkward but not too bad dinner, each pair went up to their designated rooms.

--

DeeDee still had no idea how to reply to Olga's extremely blunt and casual question. But that was okay, because Olga seemed to have forgotten about it in favor of browsing through DeeDee's various romance and shonen-ai manga -

"WAIT!" The blonde shouted, attempting to cover her anime bookshelf. "Uhh…"

The other blinked. "Did I just see…"

"I can totally explain!"

"…the tenth volume of Loveless?"

The two stared at each other in silence.

"Um…yeah?"

"…OHMYGOD! WHERE'D YOU GET IT?!" Olga squealed, going into major-yaoi mode.

DeeDee gave a relieved grin, pulling the tenth volume from her shelf. "It's actually the Japanese version, but my friend translated it for me. See?"

She opened the book, revealing tons of little post it notes over the speech bubbles.

"Ohh, that makes sense." The raven-haired teen nodded. "That's really cool."

"I know, right? Here," DeeDee handed it to Olga. "You can borrow it if you'd like. I've already finished it."

"Seriously? Thanks!" Olga smiled, taking the book in her hands as though it was a precious jewel.

The blonde turned back to her shelf, pulling out some manga and anime.

"Do you like Okane ga nai?"

"Like it? I LOVE it!"

--

POV Switch: Omniscient 

Dexter's Room

Meanwhile, the boy genii had made their way back to Dexter's room. Closing the door shut behind him, Dexter sighed with relief.

"Sorry that you had to listen to Dad's tirade about his workday. He's very loquacious." The redhaired teen apologized, thoroughly embarrassed.

"It's fine." The other dismissed quickly. "I'm used to it." Having hippie parents, he was used to hearing long rants - the only difference being that Wind Bear and Ocean Bird would be discussing the meaning of life and love, as opposed to Mr. McPhearson's rambling about paperwork and his boss. Both of which he wasn't really interested in, but kept a polite demeanor all the same.

A tense silence stretched between them. Dexter felt a vague urge to debate some more about String Theory, but to ask now just seemed to be inappropriate.

"So…" Mandark began. "Where are all those science fair trophies, ribbons, medals and the like?"

"Oh, in the lab." He replied without even thinking. "DeeDee keeps playing with them otherwise."

"I see…" Another awkward pause as the other teen shuffled his feet and looked at the ground.

Dexter felt a wave of apprehension ripple throughout his body. It had occurred to him previously that he might end up showing his rival the confines of his laboratory. But the quiet, emotionally insecure part of himself still remembered the fear of losing his laboratory, truly his greatest creation, forever. And his paranoia didn't help much either, suggesting that perhaps Mandark was just trying to find a way to expose Dexter. Reveal his laboratory and genius to all the world, who would never leave him alone. Then he would be hounded day in and day out by the government, the paparazzi-

But he really had to stop thinking so much. Or at least, start thinking logically and rationally. After all, Mandark had countless opportunities to expose him. And even though they were, in theory, "arch-rivals", that was back then, and this is now.

To heck with it.

"Wanna see my lab?"

_-- _

POV switch: Omniscient

DeeDee's Room

DeeDee and Olga were in a heated debate about who would make the better uke between L and Light (DeathNote).

"L is just too cute to be seme!"

"But L could tempt Light into revealing his true identity as Kira! It'd be perfect!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"No - okay, fine. Truce."

"As long as Misa doesn't end up with one of them. She's such a ditz."

"Hey - I liked Misa!" DeeDee said, defending Misa's honor.

"That's only cause she's like one of TWO girls in the whole series."

"Yeah…but…she helps. Kinda."

"Kinda." Olga rolled her eyes, leaning back against the side of the bed.

"Who's your favorite character?" The blonde inquired, idly flipping some pages of her Death Note manga.

"I liked Light up until after he killed L. He's really smart and stuff…I think he just was too extreme in the whole killing people off thing."

DeeDee nodded in agreement. "Yeah…I think he's just misunderstood."

"It just kind of scares me how…" the raven-haired teen trailed off, lost in her thoughts.

"How what?" The other girl cocked one head to the side curiously.

"Nothing, just...Light…" Olga looked hesitantly at DeeDee, then turned her eyes to stare at the floor. "…He scared me. How he killed so many people without a thought. It's unnerving, I guess."

"Oh…" DeeDee frowned. It seemed as though her guest had something else on her mind, but she didn't push it.

"Well, anyways. I thought Light's heart was in the right place, at least. He just wanted to make the world a better place."

"Yeah..." Olga smiled. "Hey, have you ever watched Yugioh?" She asked suddenly, changing the topic.

--

POV Switch: Mandark First Person

Dexter's lab

When Dexter asked if I wanted to see his laboratory, I was definitely surprised.

But happy. Extraordinarily so.

I watched him place a hand on a certain spot on the wall besides his bed, and a panel with an imprint of a hand popped out, glowing a neon blue. From the ceiling, a retina scanner dropped down and did a quick confirmation.

A segment of the wall lifted up, leaving a doorway just large enough for two people to enter through.

I peered in cautiously. The passageway was lit up with small, emerald-green lightbulbs, all connected together and glowing softly. The floor was made of steel gray metal panels, as were the rest of the walls.

Dexter walked in, leading the way as I followed close behind. The door slid quietly shut behind us, and unexpectedly, I relaxed. There was something nice about the privacy of it all, the fact that we were completely alone and cut off from the world. I look over at the genius, enjoying the way the lights radiate his face.

Something stirred inside of me, a mixture of excitement and apprehension. What has changed since I last was here? What has remained?

The tunnel was fairly short, it was only a one minute walk to his lab. We soon came to yet another door, and this time he was given a full body scan. Dexter has definitely bumped up security.

He stated his name in a microphone, "Dexter McPhearson and one guest."

I stood perfectly still as I was scanned, watching grid lines trace a course over my entire body. Dexter was fiddling with a screen that appeared to have a sort of hologram of myself on it. I deduced that these were the results of the scan.

When all was done, the door slid open with a swish.

I followed him inside, gazing around in awe.

All around me experiments were taking place. The soft hum of machines resonated throughout the air. Glass jars and bottles rested on rickety shelves, filled to the brim. Books lay open, riddled with post it notes and hastily scrawled notes. A few robots were wandering around doing various duties, like wrenching something in place, or monitoring the work of other robots. The fluorescent lights cast a dim yellow glow(I'm guessing that he did not put them on full power to save electricity.)

I noted with interest that his laboratory, although elaborate, was certainly not farther along than my own was. If anything, we were on the same level, as rivals should be.

Though, in comparison to my lab, his was far more open. There weren't separate rooms for certain things unless it was hazardous material. No real divisions or organization. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised at this. Dexter seemed the type to meticulously strive for order, but perhaps he just couldn't be bothered with building a bunch of different places for his experiments.

I suppose that I was standing there gaping for awhile, because Dexter gave me a really odd look (Dear whatever god is up there, please don't let him think I'm strange).

I felt a flush rising up my neck and blurted, "It'sreallycool."

_Cool? _Since when did I ever use such lowly terminology? Olga's slang must be having an affect on me.

He blinked twice, looking absolutely bewildered. "What?"

_He looks so cute when he's confuzzled - I mean, _confused. "Um…your lab is…neat."

Silence.

"Thanks…"

Was I ALWAYS this awkward with people? Perhaps I should go to the library later and check out some books on psychology to improve my social interactions.

"…Wanna play a game?" He inquired suddenly, a slightly competitive gleam in his eye.

"What game?" I asked cautiously.

"I call it 'Mind Maze'." He grinned and beckoned coyly. "Follow me." **(1)**

* * *

**(1) I stole this from my Encarta CD's learning games. I always sucked at Mind Maze, it would ask me questions that were ridiculously hard AND I was timed. **

**I don't think I ever beat it, either…LOL. **

**Once again, sorry for the random changes in POV. It's how I write. I kind of think of it as a movie where you can randomly cut to scenes that are happening simultaneously. And also, to clarify, the "it'sreallycool" is meant to have no spaces to indicate that it was spoken rapidly.**

**Thanks for reading!  
**


	9. With these Mind Games

POV Switch: Omniscient

DeeDee's Room

The two girls sat on DeeDee's bed, enraptured by the scene taking place on a nearby laptop screen.

**L was drying Light's feet with a towel, to make amends for making the brunette get soaked in the pouring rain. Their conversation came to a halt and both became silent, glancing at each other hesitantly. **

Olga and DeeDee squeed simultaneously.

"They're _so _cute!" Olga giggled, smiling.

"I know, right? I wish there were more moments like this."

"Me too…man," The raven-haired teen laid back against the pillows. "this feels so…unreal."

DeeDee cocked her head to the side. "Hm?"

"Like…I've never known someone who liked yaoi before…" She admitted, playing with some lace on a frilled pillow. "And I just never expected you to. Or anyone at our school for that matter."

The blonde laughed lightly. "You'd be surprised. But it's true, nobody _seems _to be the fangirl type."

"Our school sucks. Period." Olga declared.

"Nah, a lot of people here in general are just homophobes." DeeDee shrugged. "They'll grow out of it eventually."

"I hope so." Closing her eyes, the raven-haired teen sighed. _I just hope Dexter isn't one of them, for Mandark's sake. _

--

POV Switch:

Dexter's Lab

Mandark gazed curiously at the two pods before him - one red, one blue. Inside each were silver helmets that had a wire connected to what looked like a mouse of some type.

Dexter launched into an explanation, a small hint of pride in his voice as he did so.

"Mind Maze is played in a virtual world that I created. Our minds will enter, but our bodies will stay here. My computer is monitoring, but should any problem arise I've built a fail-safe." He tapped one of the mice. "Keep one hand on the mouse, and if any malfunctions occur just push the button and we'll be ejected from the virtual reality."

The other nodded. "So what is the game about?"

"It's sort of a strategy-oriented game, but it's mostly a game of wit." The redhead explained as he walked over to the control panel and began fiddling with some buttons. "It's going to be randomized, and whatever subject we get we'll be tested on. Each time you get a question right you can advance in the maze, and if you get one wrong you lose a turn. There are three mazes total before the end, and the goal is to beat your opponent, me, to the finish."

The computer chimed, interrupting Dexter. "Randomizing in progress."

"Only one subject?" Mandark inquired.

"Only one. It's usually somethingfairly specific, like 'Chemistry' or 'Fine Arts'." The genius sat down in the blue pod while Mandark took the red one.

"Randomization complete. Subject: European History. Proceed to Mind Maze."

The other teen raised an eyebrow and whistled. "Dang."

Dexter smirked. "Scared?"

"In your dreams."

With that, the two slipped their helmets on and began the game.

--

The Game

(Haha, you lost the game) (1)

Dexter and Mandark materialized inside the game, just outside of the Mind Maze. Mandark gaped in awe, hardly able to believe his eyes.

_It's like it's real. _He gazed at the medieval castle standing proudly before them. It was surrounded by a large moat, its drawbridge had yet to be lowered. A series of towers surrounded the walls, adorned by carefully made turrets. The windows gave nothing away, they were little more than prison windows - long, narrow rectangles, often with curtains drawn.

"Mandark? You ready?" Dexter waved a hand in front of his eyes, to snap him out of his stupor.

"What? Oh..." He glanced down at the other boy and blinked in surprise.

Dexter was clad in what looked like a peasant outfit. Underneath a tight brown vest and belt he wore a long white shirt with a low collar that left nothing to the imagination. His pants, too, were a plain brown while his boots were midnight black."What…are you wearing?"

"Err…" The redhead flushed until his face was as red as his hair.

"…Let me rephrase that. What are _we _wearing?!" Mandark corrected, looking at himself. He wore a long flowing cape, with intricate silver designs that curled around the collar and on the fringes of the cape. His shirt, also black, had strange chains that were used rather than buttons to link the shirt together in the center of his chest. Much to his embarrassment (and Dexter's pleasure), it was skin tight and showed off the best assets of his toned muscles. Likewise, his pants were ridiculously tight - almost like emo pants - and revealed more than he would have liked. Not only that, but a belt, which was really just another series of chains, was wrapped around his waist and clinked with each step he took. (2)

"This looks really…" Mandark trailed off, but each boy thought the same thing. _Kinky. _(3)

"Um…" Dexter muttered. "We should…start…the game." _Maybe I overdid it on the outfits…but he looks really, really good..._

"Sure. How do we start?" The raven-haired teen asked.

As if on cue, a jester appeared before them. "Greetings, travelers! The Royal family has been trapped in the castle by a Dark Witch. With each right answer, you can advance one more room in the maze. With each wrong, you will lose a turn. Whichever traveler can save the Royal Family first will win the game!" Bowing, the Jester left with a poof, and the drawbridge began to lower.

"So wait…" Mandark began as they walked towards the bridge. "What if we're in the same room and get asked a question?"

"We each get a separate question in that case."

"Ah. Okay."

"Just so you know, I've never lost Mind Maze." Dexter smirked.

"Really? Me neither." The other grinned back.

"May the best win." The redhead held out his hand, which Mandark shook firmly.

Even long after they had entered the maze, they would still feel the warmth of the other's hand.

--

(1) Inside Joke. Um…yeah. Sorry I just had to throw that in. It's a really stupid game, you can't ever mention the game otherwise you lose it. So just, whenever you hear or read the words The Game, then you lose. And that is the entire game.

(2) I actually based these outfits off of pictures. Links probably don't work on this site but they are the first and second things you get when you google image Medieval outfits for men. Otherwise, check out Aria's Dream on Wordpress, it should be somewhere in the archives.

(3) Imagine all the things you can do with those chains.

* * *

**Sorry for not updating in such a long time. There have been so many things going on in my life. -Inserts rant here because there's really no one here for her at 10PM at night-**

**Everyone around me, including myself, has been on edge. There's been drama everywhere - at school, with my friends, with my family especially.  
**

**Truthfully I wrote most of this last week, and was planning to write even more the past week but things got out of hand with the drama and all I guess. So I scribbled a couple lines, erased some more, and figured I'd post it for the heck of it.  
**


	10. that we play

**Just so you know, there are probably going to be lots of switched POVs until I figure out how to best organize it.**

The two parted ways, each going into a separate room for their first question.

Mandark - First Person:

I really have to hand it to Dexter, this virtual world really is quite spectacular. Although my shirt could be a little bit looser…I guess I could "un-button" it but the constant clinking of the "chain-buttons" is going to get on my nerves. Not to mention how strange I'd look walking around with half my shirt open.

Anyways, the first room seems pretty simple. It's a bedroom, with one closed door being the only other exit. There's a woman softly singing a lullaby to her baby in a wooden rocking chair. I'm not sure if I should just approach her and ask for a riddle or if I should try the door first.

"Uhh…hello…" I say awkwardly, taking a few steps forward into the room.

She looks up at me, her eyes are a piercing green._ Weird._ Just like my eyes.

"Greetings traveler. Who might you be, and what brings you to my humble abode?" The mother asks, with what I believe is a faintly Austrian accent.

"I'm here to save the kingdom, I think?" I shrug. "They said I need to solve a riddle to pass each room."

"A riddle? Oh." Her eyes lit up with recognition. "You must be talking about these strange words that I keep hearing. Here, I've written it down-" She shuffles over to her bed, taking a roll of parchment from under her pillow.

I take it, reading the riddle aloud to myself. It's not really a riddle, it sounds like a multiple choice question that would be asked on an AP Exam or something. (1)

"Which King established Prussian Absolutism by building up his army, creating a strong centralized bureaucracy, and turning Prussia into a military state?"

I _think_ it was Frederick William I. Should I be saying that aloud or something?

"Uhh…Frederick William I?" I answer to no one in particular.

The next door creaks open, and I give the lady back her parchment. "Thanks."

She smiles. "I'm glad to help. Do be careful on your journey. Some of the people you will encounter will not be so cooperative as I."

I nod and leave the room, feeling a little bit silly as my belt clinks incessantly. It's like I'm a walking key chain.

The door shuts behind me, and I find myself in a huge hallway filled with hanging tapestries with intricate designs of animals - roaring lions, flying dragons, and…little kitty cats?

In the center of the hallway and pacing back and forth across a regal red carpet is a tall (and kind of good looking now that I think about it) Spaniard. He's also carrying a green and yellow parrot on his shoulder, for whatever reason. Like me, he's wearing a long, flowing cape, only his is a royal blue with yellow trim.

I hope he speaks English. "Hello." I approach him cautiously, eyeing the sword he has in his scabbard.

The man turns around, and bows upon seeing me. "Hola, Usted. Are you a fellow explorer like myself?"

"In a way." I reply, feeling a little odd with the respect he's giving me. Strange what a cape can do to people. "I'm a traveler and I seek to speak with the king." One of the most poorly worded sentences I've ever spoken, but I've got no time for trivialities when I'm racing against Dexter.

"Ah, I see." He nods. "Then perhaps you could help me with this strange question that suddenly appeared when I was taking my tea."

"What is it?"

The explorer hands me an unfolded letter, which reads, "He was considered the Father of humanism, a literary movement that broke from medieval traditions and emphasized secularism."

"Petrarch." Too easy.

Two doors on either side of the hallway immediately open. I ponder for a moment and choose the left one.

The man wishes me _buena suerte, _good luck, and I'm on my way.

I wonder where Dexter is?

--

(1) Cough. I should be studying for that.

**Oh yeah and Usted (or Ud.) is formal in Spanish. Like "sir"…only Senor is more of Sir so it's like, even more formal than THAT. **

**So he does that cause Mandark looks so pimp in his outfit haha. **

**I'm really trying too hard, huh?**

--

POV Switch: DeeDee's Room. Simultaneously:

"So how come you guys came over anyways?" DeeDee asked, glancing over her Loveless manga at Olga (who was also reading one). She was lying down on the rug, propped up with a few pillows as she read.

"Um, I guess so we wouldn't get in trouble for missing curfew. Your brother sort of randomly invited us." The teen answered, flipping a page. "I was kind of surprised too. I thought our brothers used to hate each other."

The blonde chortled. "Hate? Far from it, in fact-" She stopped herself before she said too much.

Olga looked up at her curiously. "In fact…?"

"Uhhh…Mandark's the closest thing Dexter's ever had for a friend!" It was technically true. Sort of. "At least, since Douglas had that whole fight and all…"

"Oh. I heard about that." Olga frowned. "Several versions of it actually."

"They didn't actually punch each other, if that's what you're referring to. But there was a lot of yelling." DeeDee sighed, reminiscing. "And when Dexter gets mad it's freaky. He _seethes."_

"Ah. I imagine verbally sparring wouldn't be fun."

"Yeah. Dexter just has this way with words that makes you feel so…" The blonde paused, searching for the words. "So stupid. Like you don't know anything, like you're worthless."

"That's like Mandark too. He's always been good with debating and arguing." The raven-haired teen rolled to her side to look at the other. "Geniuses are so…"

"Frustrating?" DeeDee offered, smiling wanly. "But it's good to have someone smart you can rely on, and cause of the whole sister and brother family bond thing we'll always be able to forgive each other."

"Mmhm." Olga nodded. "But sometimes…it feels kind of straining."

"How so?"

"Like…I know Mandark's a genius and all but sometimes I still have to guide him. Especially when it comes to being social and interacting with other people. And it's kind of weird for me, because I'm his baby sister. You'd expect it to be the other way around." She added. "But no matter how calm he seems on the outside, on the inside he's sort of…"

"Unstable?" DeeDee suggested, an understanding smile on her face.

"Exactly. It's like I have to help keep him steady, you know? But I'm afraid that one day…" She looked down at the ground, lost in thought. "One day…I won't be there anymore to hold him together..."

"And he'll fall apart." DeeDee finished sadly.

The two sat in silence for a moment, in awe of what had been revealed.

_Who would have imagined we could ever have so much in common?_

_Our concern and worry for our brothers…_

_Geniuses, the smartest people in this world_

_But so fragile and sensitive_

_Like glass_

_It's our duty to protect them…_

_So we tease them_

_and we annoy them _

_We criticize them_

_and humiliate them  
_

_It's better that I do it_

_then if someone else does_

_Better that he hears it from me_

_then from a total stranger_

_So that he won't feel as much pain_

_So that he won't be as hurt_

DeeDee stood up suddenly. "Let's go give them huge bear hugs!"

Olga grinned. "Yeah!"

They bounded down the hallway, bursting through Dexter's bedroom door.

"DEEEEEEEEX…ter…" The blonde stared at the empty room. "I guess they're in the lab…"

"Are you serious?!" Olga did a facewall. "And I was totally prepared to go completely out of character!"

"Don't worry, we'll just go in the lab." DeeDee grinned, going over to the "secret" entrance. "It's strange because Dexter's usually really anal about his lab. He only lets me in because I'm stubborn."

The passageway in the wall opened up, and they entered.

* * *

**I know it's a lame ending but I couldn't really think of any profound deep words to say. Unless I could somehow fit in a metaphor about how Dexter's really the only one who'll let his sister "in", literally and figuratively and likewise with Olga and Mandark. **

**And I really don't know about that weird poem up there either. Think of it as both girl's thoughts at the same time. And I know Olga's kind of a jerk in the episode, but DeeDee is too sometimes. And I like to think that deep down inside we all really love for and care for our siblings. So that's my reasoning.  
**


End file.
